Startups Stories

Cough Detection

Collaboration in the air: Cough detection sensors combine Sickweather, Mycroft tech

You can’t manage what you can’t measure, said Sickweather CEO Graham Dodge, describing the need for cough detection sensors that are slated to be rolled out in public places across Kansas City in 2019. Illness forecaster Sickweather is teaming up with fellow Kansas City startup Mycroft, a leader in artificial intelligence-infused tech, to develop the…

Davide Rossi, FitBark, pet innovators

Pet innovators unleash market built on experiences, evolving relationships with dogs (Photos)

Meaningful relationships are no longer only between people, said Davide Rossi, discussing the rise of pet innovators and an emerging market built on experiences with four-legged family members. “They key thing is to recognize that the relationship between us and our pets has been changing,” said Rossi, co-founder of FitBark, a Kansas City-based pet tech…

Zach Pettet, Fountain City Fintech; and Erika Klotz, PopBookings, KC Mythbusters

Human capital: KC Mythbusters challenges Kansas City to rethink how it supports startups

A thriving startup ecosystem requires more stakeholders with skin in the game, said Eric Jorgenson. That means increasing direct participation — those actively and directly building or investing in startups that can potentially exit and see a talent and capital explosion that results in even newer startups — and de-emphasizing the need for and dependence…

DevOpsDays KC

DevOpsDays brings two-day grassroots tech conference back to Kansas City

DevOpsDays KC is returning this week with an open spaces concept wherein audience members at the two-day conference vote on the topics to cover in real time, said Ryan McNair. Topics with the most votes create zones in the space in which the audience can flow freely from each area. “If you don’t like it,…

Little Hoots

Pint-sized perspective: KC’s Little Hoots takes nostalgia-capturing tech to MIT

From the cute and comedic to the whimsical and wise, every parent can pinpoint a Little Hoots moment that relates to their personal adventure in child-rearing, said Lacey Ellis, founder and CEO of the Kansas City-birthed mobile app that recently turned heads at MIT. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a hoot is…